PENDLETON — When Emily LaValle and husband Josh McGraw decided to open The Studio Pendleton in 2022, they had a vision for what they wanted the business to be: an art supply store and gallery that offered classes for kids and adults and private functions like birthday parties and team-building events.
Their vision was clear, but the details of how to make that vision a reality were a little fuzzy.
That's when they turned to the Small Business Development Center at Blue Mountain Community College.
“Cindy Henderson was our adviser, and she was great to help us knock through all the things that we needed to create our business plan,” LaValle said. “I don't have a business background or anything like that, so she's been super helpful with that sort of stuff.”